Saturday, May 19, 2012

They're the unsung heroes of many a Hollywood blockbuster or music video, putting their bodies on the line while the A-listers take the acting plaudits from critics.

But these pictures reveal the vital role performed by film stunt doubles, as they are pictured on set next to their household name counterparts.

Some stars like Tom Cruise and Matt Damon insist on doing their own physically dangerous stunt scenes, while others are happy to let doubles stand in.

Spot the difference: Jennifer Lopez is spotted with her stunt double while filming a music video in Mexico - who just happens to be a manFour's a crowd: Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, right, stand on set with their stunt doubles during filming of 'Knight and Day' in Cadiz, Spain

All their own work: Cameron Diaz's stunt double Kimberley Shannon Murphy, pictured here with the star for 'Knight and Day', said Diaz and Tom Cruise often perform most of their own stunts

These images capture the on-set moments actors would prefer you not to see, however, as they are pictured with their near-identical looking colleagues who often step in for the really tough stuff.

Actors and actresses captured with their stand-ins include Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie and Cameron Diaz.

While Harry Potter star Rupert Grint is happy to pose with his acting stand-in, the A-listers pictured with their doubles are caught in more secretive on-set snaps.

Double vision: Shia LaBeouf chats to his stand-in on the set of 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' in LA, while January Jones is spotted with her double on the set of 'X-Men: First Class' in Buckinghamshire

Seeing double: Angelina Jolie shares a joke with her stand-in while filming a scene for 'Salt' in Washington DC in 2009

Double act: Rupert Grint appears happy to pose with his stand-in for Harry Potter here, as he poses with Anthony Knight (left)

One particularly confusing stunt double picture shows Cruise and Diaz with both their stunt doubles at the same time as the four actors film a scene for the film 'Knight and Day'.

Mad Men actress January Jones was seen with her stunt double on the set of X-Men: First Class last year, with the blonde pair both wearing white fur-trimmed outfits ahead of shooting a scene.

But while January, who played Emma Frost in the film, left the more difficult stunt to her double, she said in an interview that she wanted to film as many of her own stunts as possible.

She said: 'I was nearly decapitated by the stunt wires in X-Men. The most difficult stunts were with Michael Fassbender, where I was spinning in the air on those wires.

'While my stunt double did a lot of the harder stuff, I’ve always been very sporty and the stunts and action are part of the fun.'

A lot of the time actors do perform their own stunts in action movies, with the stunt doubles bought in for 'protection'.

Cameron Diaz's stunt double in Knight and Day, Kimberley Shannon Murphy, has previously revealed how Cruise and Diaz are often two actors who insist on doing a lot of physical scenes themselves.

Unsung hero: Brad Pitt's double is pictured on the set of World War Z in Glasgow last year, while, right, the man himself takes time out while filming the same movie

She told website bleedingcool.com in 2010: 'There are plenty of actors who don’t want to do their own stunts and then you come across others that really want to do as much as they can do and Tom and Cameron are definitely two of those people.

'It's part of our job to be behind the scenes. We’re recognised within our own community, as the actors are recognised in their own community.

'I think that for any films that I’ve worked on, everyone appreciates everything that stunt people do and what they bring to the table when it comes to making a film.'

In some cases the respective contributions of the stunt double can lead to conflict.

Natalie Portman's ballet dancing double in Black Swan, Sarah Lane, 27, said the Hollywood actress only performed five per cent of the full-body shots in the last year's critically-acclaimed film.

Miss Lane claimed she was the victim of a 'cover-up' and movie-goers had been misled as to how much of the dancing Portman actually performed in the film.